


Wisdom of the Fool

by Gildan



Category: Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-05-15 19:37:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5797207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gildan/pseuds/Gildan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sort-of retelling of the film with a different ending. Goes into what wasn't seen in the film between Freddy and Larry, including Freddy's past with Long Beach Mike. Will be fluffy, angsty, and will deviate from canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Long Beach

“This better be no Freddy-joke.” Said Holdaway. The small room at the precinct was full of young officers like Freddy, but it was Freddy who was always piping up. Holdaway smiled, he didn’t like to pick favorites, but it was clear to almost everybody that he had a fondness for Freddy that didn’t exist with the other officers.

            While Freddy had good rapport with everyone, there was certainly hidden bitterness amongst his former classmates. The only one who ever joked with Holdaway was Freddy, and he was the only one who ever got a smile and a joke back. If there was ever a sentence to describe how the other young officers felt about Freddy, it would be “Freddy? Freddy gets away with everything.”

            And he did. Holdaway liked the kid more than he should. He would never admit it to anyone else, ever, but he would secretly describe Freddy as his “little cousin”. Freddy was someone who he clicked with and wanted to protect. He was like family. And it was clear Freddy felt the same level of comfort.

            But when Freddy volunteered to go undercover, Holdaway didn’t believe him.

            “It’s not a joke.” Said Freddy with a straight face. Holdaway was taken aback that Freddy didn’t laugh back. The kid seemed so serious; maybe he was trying to fix his reputation.

            “Alright, Newandyke.” said Holdaway. “We’ll give you a shot.”

            The next day Holdaway filled Freddy in on the finer details. They went out to Holdaway’s favorite diner. Freddy never understood why they discussed these things in public, but he was always up for free food.

            “Here’s the deal. You ever hear of Joe Cabot?” said Holdaway once the waitress left with their orders.

            “Hm Cabot…sounds familiar.”

            “Cabot’s a big fish; we’ve been trying to catch him for months. Well, years really. We know the guy’s a bad dude; we just have to get him in the act. We have word from Long Beach Mike that Cabot’s been having trouble lately. His back is up against the wall, that sort of thing. Which means he’s more viable to slip up. This is our chance.”

            Freddy missed that last part. He was thinking about Long Beach Mike. He hadn’t worked undercover intensely before, but he had met Mike a few times when he was gathering info. He remembered the way Mike had that sleazy vibe, a cigarette from hours before hanging out his mouth. But there was also something wildly attractive about him. He slouched in the sofa when Freddy met him; he had piercing eyes and a nice smile for a petty rat.

            Freddy remembered the way Long Beach Mike had flirted with him when he first met him.

            It was a year and a half ago, and Freddy was undercover, but just for a few periods when visiting Mike. It was Holdaway who suggested it, Mike didn’t like talking to his other guys, but he had seen Freddy and, well, according to Holdaway, felt a certain type of way about him. Mike had said “These other guys, I can’t trust them. But that guy looks normal. He looks like he could be me.” And that was that.

            When Freddy showed up to Mike’s shithole, he didn’t feel nervous. He might goof off sometimes, but Freddy was a responsible adult and he took his job seriously. Mike opened the door, he looked in his early 40s, had greying hair that went down his neck. He was wearing a dirty tank top and smiled when he saw Freddy.

            “Hey man, happy birthday.” He had said.

            In that second, Freddy immediately became nervous. “Uh thanks.”

            “Holdaway told me. How old are you?” Mike opened the door further to let Freddy come in.

            “I just turned 28.”

            “No shit! Damn, I just turned 44.” And he looked it too, thought Freddy, who presumed that alcohol, drugs, and who knows what else could do that to a person. Still, he wasn’t a bad looking guy.

            “So I heard you trusted me the most.” Said Freddy, taking notice of the shitty apartment. It wasn’t disgusting, but everything in it was old and worn.

            “Yeah I can always tell with you guys. You want a beer?” said Mike, opening the fridge.

            “No thanks, I’m technically on a job.” Answered Freddy, gently reminding Mike of why he was there.

            “Yeah it’s too early anyway, I just, yknow, I don’t have a lot of guests. At least, in the daytime.” He let out a big laugh here. “So I don’t know what to offer you.”

            “I’m good, really.” Said Freddy, standing there very awkwardly all of a sudden, but he didn’t understand why.

            Long Beach Mike smiled and plopped onto his worn out couch. “Well how about you sit down and we’ll talk about what I know and what I don’t know, k?”

            Freddy sat down next to Mike; he thought of what it must be like, to be a rat of a criminal who consistently provides the LAPD with the knowhow on his buddies.

            As Mike went off sharing stories of the criminals Freddy was here to talk about, their demeanors became more and more friendly. Eventually, Freddy was kicking back on the couch laughing as Mike reenacted the exploits of his friends. He couldn’t believe the shit Mike had gotten into. It never occurred to Freddy until much much later that Mike had purposefully gotten himself involved because he was, well, a dangerous criminal. It always seemed to Freddy that Mike just wound up in these situations some…how… Freddy never knew how much he apologized for the people he loved.

            When Freddy was leaving, Mike’s eyes lingered on him, and Freddy smiled. They held their stare until finally Mike said, “You should get going.”

            The second time Freddy went to get information he found it harder to take notes. He kept forgetting that he was supposed to be writing it all down. When the conversation dwindled, they kissed. It wasn’t a situation where Long Beach Mike kissed Freddy, or where Freddy kissed Long Beach Mike. It was like in the movies, where the couple both slowly leans in at the same time.

            “Well,” said Mike, “I’ll see you later.”

            The third time Freddy visited Mike his notebook stayed on the coffee table. They spent the next hours making out on Mike’s couch. Freddy felt like he was floating on air.

            It wasn’t that Freddy was inexperienced. In high school, Freddy had a girlfriend for a short while before he realized he was more interested in the guys on the soccer team. They had slept together for the first time while dating, but broke up amicably shortly after. In college Freddy dated a guy for a few semesters, until he got arrested for drug possession. During his time in the academy, he dated a man from Hollywood, but it didn’t last long when the man was accused of tax evasion. Freddy didn’t seem to have much luck in love, but he had had it before.     

            With Long Beach Mike, just making out was enough. It was real and exciting. When things were heating up, it was Mike who stopped it. “I’d rather not.” He said. Freddy was okay with that.

            When it was time for Freddy to go, Mike said, “Well you got what you needed. I guess I won’t see much of you anymore, huh?”

            “Yeah I guess not. Thanks for all your help.” Said Freddy, understanding that that was the end of their relationship.

            “Make sure they treat me right over there.” Said Mike.

            Freddy smiled. “I will.”

            “Hey man, are you listening?” Holdaway broke Freddy’s train of thought.

            “Uh, yeah, yeah.”

            “Yeah what?” asked Holdaway sternly.

            “Yeah uh...Cabot’s a bad dude.” Said Freddy.

            “Freddy, do you want to do this or not? I just said you have to go talk to Long Beach Mike and get him to get you in with Cabot. Ok?”

            “Yeah. Yeah I can do that.”

            “Alright, and while you’re over there, dig up as much info as you can on Cabot and his crew. You’ll need it.” Holdaway paid the tab and the two parted ways.

            Freddy was nervous. He hadn’t seen Long Beach Mike since that very last time. Freddy was 30 now, and he hadn’t dated anyone since because he had been so busy working.

            Long Beach Mike was set up in a different part of the city this time. It was slightly nicer than the apartment before, but not by much. When Mike opened the door, he smiled wide.

            “When Holdaway told me, I didn’t believe it. How are you, man?” Mike gave him a hug and led him inside.

            “I’ve been g-good.” Said Freddy, composing himself. Mike looked better. He was cleaner, but still the same.

            “So, how old are you now?”

            “30.”

            “SHIT! I don’t know how to tell you this, but it’s all down hill from now.” Laughed Mike.

            “Oh.” Said Freddy, smiling. “Great.”

            “So you’re going undercover for real this time huh?” said Mike, taking a seat at his kitchen table, Freddy joined him.

            “Yes. We’re going to catch Joe Cabot and they need me to be a part of his crew.”

            “Hm. I can set you up with Cabot, but you have to be careful. He’s a dangerous guy when he wants to be. And he keeps interesting company.”

            “How so?” asked Freddy

            “He’s got a boy in jail right now, named Vic Vega, not that anyone knows that he worked with Cabot of course. He’s a bit of a loose cannon. One could use the term “crazed lunatic”, but most of the time Cabot’s son Eddie keeps him in line. The next dude is a squirrely guy that’s been hanging around. I’m not sure what his name is, it might be Vince or maybe it’s Steve or something whatever, but I think Cabot’s known him since the guy was a kid. He ain’t dangerous. I imagine a skinny guy like you could beat him up.”

            “Will they be working with me?”

            “I have no idea. Like I said Vic is in jail but his time for release is coming up. So if you DO work with him, just be on guard. That dude will sniff you out if you’re not careful. And he’s big. Like tall and buff and all that. Next up is a new guy, I’m not sure what his name is either but he and Cabot definitely go back. Might be from Minnesota or Montana or one of those dumbass states. I think Cabot’s looking to use him.”

            “So what’s the job?”

            “Look. Cabot’s not doing too well; he needs to pull a successful job just so he can get his head above water. It’s probably going to be something big like a jewelry heist, diamonds if he’s lucky.” Mike shifted in his seat.

            “Anyone else I should know about?” asked Freddy.

            “I don’t know who else is hanging around, there’s a pool of guys but I wouldn’t know where to start. I think my time is coming to an end, yknow.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Cabot’s going to go up in flames. But if you’re not successful, some criminal is gonna get him first, and then I’m screwed. I don’t know what I can offer the LAPD anymore.” He reached his hand to Freddy’s. “You have to do something. You have to get Cabot and tell them I helped you, which I did.”

            Freddy moved his hand away. “I’ll get Cabot.”

            “Alright.” Said Mike, relaxing. “Then I’ll get you all set up with him. It will be up to you to convince him, but I know you got it in you.”

            Freddy nodded. He realized that this was going to take all that he had. He wanted to impress Holdaway, and he wanted to fix his reputation as the funny guy. And a small piece of him wanted to help Long Beach Mike too. He just hoped that he would be able to get away with it.


	2. Mr. White

Freddy woke up in the morning a few weeks after his meeting with Mike, today was the day he was meeting Joe. He closed his eyes after being subjected to the harsh sunlight filtering through his blinds. He didn’t want to get up, and was quickly starting to consider dropping the entire thing at the very last second. There wasn’t any point to it, Freddy wasn’t going to get anything out of this job, and his reputation didn’t even matter. He was comfortable, what did he have to go and risk his life any more than the usual amount? It was absurd. Nothing would be worth it. 

But that was unprofessional, and silly. He had memorized an entire story. He wasn’t going to just throw it all away and have Holdaway be disappointed in him. And it was too late to have someone else meet Joe. Joe was expecting Freddy, or rather; Joe was expecting “Timmy”, Freddy’s undercover name. He hated it. 

Freddy finally rolled out of the bed and took a shower, combing back his wet hair, trying desperately to exude coolness out of his 5 foot 7 inch gangly body. It was near impossible. But, thought Freddy, leather jackets always help. 

“You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna convince them. You’re gonna tell the story and they’re going to believe you cause you’re super cool.”

That evening Freddy went to a bar on the other side of LA, he didn’t see Joe. A young man with strawberry blonde hair waved him over. It was Nice Guy Eddie. Another man was with him. Freddy didn’t notice him right away. 

“Hey there.” Said Eddie, shaking his hand. 

“Hey I’m – 

“No no no, no names. You obviously already know mine and my daddy’s but we’re keeping it tight. No names. So you two can just be introduced as partners for now.” Said Eddie, gesturing towards the older man sitting next to him. 

“Hi kid how you doing?” said the man, shaking his hand, the other holding a cigarette. 

Freddy wasn’t looking at the man’s face, if he was, he would have seen the little grin, and would have thought it was cute. But he would notice that later. 

“I’m good, and yourself?”

“Better.” 

Freddy wasn’t sure what the man meant by that. Better like, he had been better? Or better like, “now that you’re here”? 

“Where’s Joe?” asked Freddy. 

“He’ll be here in a sec.”

Freddy stood in silence until Joe arrived. 

“So you’re the kid Mike was telling me about.” Said Joe, not extending any kind of greeting. 

“Yes sir.” Said Freddy. He noticed that Joe was a big man, and he seemed intimidating at first. He was also older than the other man at the table. 

“Alright, so you want a job?” 

“Yeah I’ve been looking for work. Something more substantial.” Said Freddy. 

“What have you been doing lately?” asked Joe. 

“Well I’ve been selling weed but it isn’t anything serious or full time. In fact, I’m really over doing it.” Freddy began. 

“Why’s that?” asked Joe, sitting down, leaving Freddy standing in front of the three men. 

Freddy immediately launched into Holdaway’s commode story. As he told the story, the unnamed man was smiling ear to ear, and Freddy thought his story must be pretty funny and impressive to warrant such a reaction. He felt comforted by the man’s laughter and was able to sink into the character better. He had convinced them all. 

After they were done laughing and drinking, Joe gave him the address to a warehouse where they were going to meet the next day. There they would discuss the job with the other guys. Freddy wondered if Vic Vega would be there, and he had assumed that the out of towner was the other man at the table. He hoped he would spend more time with him than with someone like Vic. It was easier to be undercover when you were hanging with someone you were more comfortable around. 

“See you tomorrow, kid.” Said the unnamed man, giving Freddy a grin. 

Freddy smiled back. 

That night Freddy tossed and turned, wondering who was going to be at the warehouse. But he finally fell asleep when he kept telling himself that that one guy would be there, and they were practically friends. It was good to have a friend. 

“Don’t Long Beach Mike yourself.” Said Freddy to himself, before falling asleep. 

The next afternoon Freddy showed up to the warehouse early, the unnamed man from last night was there.

“You get over your hangover?” he asked Freddy. 

“Hey I was okay.” Laughed Freddy. 

“Small guy like you, nah, I know you went home and threw up.” 

Freddy wondered if this was the guy’s way of flirting, but Freddy enjoyed mean banter when it was mutual. He also noticed that he and the man were the same height, but Freddy was skinnier, so he looked small in comparison. 

“Ok maybe I felt a little sick. All my friends are potheads so I haven’t had a night of drinking in a while.” 

“You smoke?” 

“Only cigarettes now. I’m sick of weed.” Said Freddy, which, he thought, was actually a true part of his story. 

“Yeah I stick to cigarettes too…Yknow, I like LA in the spring, mostly because it’s baseball season, but I’m gonna hate all the tourists.”

‘Damn, this guy is chatty as fuck’, thought Freddy. He hated when they were talkative, it made it harder not to get all relatable. 

“Oh yeah, still, sometimes it’s nice to go to a boardwalk and have it be busy.” Said Freddy, he was never good at ‘not answering’, he had been roped in to too many ‘friendships’ because he just can’t be blunt. It was an ongoing problem. 

“I think the other guys are showing up now.” Said the unnamed man. 

When everyone had arrived, Freddy’s stomach dropped. A tall, huge dude stepped out of the Cabot’s car and he knew in an instant that was Vic Vega. He had just done four years in jail, and Freddy had convinced himself that Vic could take one look at Freddy and know immediately he was a cop. He didn’t make much eye contact with him. 

Sure enough, there was a squirrely looking guy with the entourage, and he knew that was the other guy Mike had mentioned. There was also a much much older man, and a younger guy who pretty much looked like your average douchebag. 

Freddy was going to stick with the guy he had already met, if possible. 

Once everyone was inside and seated, Joe began to explain the job: a diamond heist. Not only were they performing a heist together, they all had code names based on a color. Freddy was content when Joe said he would be ‘Mr. Orange’, but the squirrely guy started acting up about being called ‘Mr. Pink’, which got ‘Mr. Brown’ started too. Joe didn’t take any of it, but then he apologized for being mean. Freddy thought that was strange, as he had thought Joe was a pretty formidable guy. But Nice Guy Eddie called him daddy, and he had a feeling Joe wasn’t nearly as tough and scary as his reputation. 

Vic Vega was ‘Mr. Blonde’, the old man was ‘Mr. Blue’, and the unnamed man who Freddy had become acquainted was now ‘Mr. White’. He thought everyone must be jealous of Mr. White for the cool name, but he liked it for him. It suited him. And Freddy liked ‘Mr. Orange.’ 

The robbery, or heist, was in four weeks. A diamond shipment was coming to the store that day. Freddy felt like it would be forever until the day came. Sure enough, he was partnered with Mr. White, as he was the new guy and Mr. White was a reliable mentor. Vic Vega was going to work with Mr. Blue, and Mr. Brown would drive the getaway car. Mr. Pink was going to bounce around doing whatever was necessary. Freddy felt confident in the team even though he wasn’t sure how they were as people. But they seemed professional. 

They exchanged numbers and called it a day. Freddy went home to his new, fake apartment. Truth be told, it wasn’t that much different than his own. He lived like a freshman in college who just moved 1,000 miles from home. Complete with superhero posters. He spent the spring afternoon fixing up some action figures, until he got a call.

“Hello?” said Freddy. 

“Freddy man – how did it go?” it was Holdaway. 

Freddy told Holdaway everything, save for the friendliness of Mr. White. He felt it wasn’t relevant and it had the possibility of irking Holdaway. Holdaway was pleased by the events, especially since Vic Vega was there. He said goodbye to Freddy and that was that. Freddy was about to resume painting when the phone rang again. 

“H-

“Hello? Mr. Orange?” 

Freddy froze. He had been cut off just in time, he almost said Holdaway, or worse, he almost launched into a joke about the heist. 

“Yeah?” Freddy couldn’t tell who it was. 

“It’s me, Mr. White.” 

“Oh…hey how are you?” Freddy asked, wondering why he was calling so soon. It had only been about two hours since the warehouse meeting. 

“I’m great, I was thinking about what you were saying about the boardwalk, it’s busy, we could go and talk about the heist inconspicuously, you doing something? Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” 

“No.” said Freddy, breaking into a smile. “No I’m free, yeah, where do you want to meet?” 

“I was thinking at that taco stand by the pier, you know it?” said Mr. White. 

“Yeah, Tino’s Tacos. I haven’t been there in so long. I can be there in like 20 minutes.” 

“Great, I’ll see you there.”

“K, bye.” Said Freddy. 

“Bye kid.” Said Mr. White 

Freddy was grinning; he hadn’t been on a date in years. His smile faded, this wasn’t a date! This was a guy who wanted to talk about robbing a store. And Mr. White wasn’t some guy he met at a bar, he was a criminal. And not only was he a criminal, he was practically Joe’s right hand man. He was the only other guy at the meetup the other night; he was the one close to Joe. He was the one Joe trusted. Which means he must be tough as nails, and must have done some serious shit to be Joe’s number one guy. Freddy could not befriend Mr. White. It was too dangerous. 

Freddy put on his jacket and headed out the door.


	3. First Date

Freddy took the bus to the boardwalk, as his “rental” car was taking its time getting to his door. He got off the bus and headed up to the boardwalk, where people were already starting to gather and cram and birds were swooping down to grab fries. Freddy’s stomach growled and he almost went up to a fry joint when he remembered he was there for tacos. And Mr. White.  
  
He saw White standing against the front of the taco place, sunglasses on, smoking a cigarette, looking really really cool.  
  
‘Cool? He looks ‘cool’? Why don’t you go up and say that to him, ‘Hey, uh, you look really cool standing like that’, yeah, that will do it. That will impress him. You’re an idiot.’

  
After silently berating himself, Freddy walked over to White, opening with a “Hey.”  
  
White smiled, “Hey kiddo. Come on, I’m starving.” He flicked his cigarette and turned to the taco stand.  
  
They got their food and sat down on a bench that was facing the beach. The boardwalk was loud, and during the squawking of some seagulls, White leaned over to talk about the heist.  
  
“Since we’re going to be partners on this, we have to work together. I think we’ll be just fine. We’ll be going over things the next few weeks, so if you ever have any questions, you know where to reach me. Anyway, you shouldn’t be worried about the other guys. I saw you look a little freaked when Blonde showed up. I don’t know him personally, but Joe does. And Joe only hires guys he knows can do the job. Like you.”  
  
“Like me. I don’t know about that.” And now Freddy was playing a game, how many times can he not lie to Mr. White, yknow, ignoring technicalities and all that.  
  
“Don’t talk like that, you’ll do great. Plus you got me as a partner. And I don’t fail.” White took the last bite of his taco, and with it, ended their conversation about work for the time being.  
  
“Well do you fail at carnival games?” asked Freddy, wiping crumbs off his pants and looking towards the boardwalk games.  
  
“I’m a killer at knocking down those little cups.”  
  
“I won’t believe it until I see it.”  
  
The two men stood up and walked over to the games; White paid the guy and picked up the baseball.  
  
“You might want to step out of the way.” He told Freddy.  
  
“Psh – alright.” Freddy stepped aside.  
  
White reached his arm back and threw the ball just right, knocking down all the cups. The man behind the counter handed him a giant bear, and seemed to be in disbelief. “Hey, good shot.” He said. White took the bear and handed it to Freddy.  
  
“Impressed?” he asked.  
  
Freddy took the bear. “Yeah. Jesus.”  
  
“Like I said, don’t be nervous. You got the best partner on the team.”  
  
“I feel bad for the other guys.” Said Freddy, holding the bear under his arm.  
  
They walked down the boardwalk towards where White had parked his car.  
  
“Do you need a ride home?” White asked.  
  
“Oh I was just going to take the bus.” Said Freddy, pointing behind him.  
  
“No it’s fine, I can give you a ride. Just tell me where to go.” Said White, taking out his keys.  
  
“Okay, thanks.”  
  
“So you’ve never worked on a heist this big?” White asked once they got in the car.  
  
“No, I’ve only ever done drug deals. But I’m so sick of those. I figure the only way I’ll get anywhere is if I start doing jobs like this.” Kinda sorta not a lie.  
  
“Hm.” Said White. “Well…you don’t strike me as a career criminal.”  
  
“Everyone starts somewhere right?” said Freddy, feeling a little nervous.  
  
“Yeah. I just don’t want to se-  
  
“WHITE!” Freddy cried as White slammed on the brake. A dog was in the street.  
  
“Shit.” White breathed. “That was close.”  
  
Freddy unbuckled his seatbelt and unlocked his door.  
  
“Kid where you going?” White asked. Freddy left the door opened and he went and picked up the little dog. It was a brown mutt kind of dog with a black muzzle and long fur. It looked like a puppy, and was definitely a stray.  
  
Freddy walked back over to the open door. “Is it okay if he’s in your car?” He asked.  
  
White smiled, more so at Freddy than the dog, but Freddy didn’t catch that. “Yeah, it’s fine.”  
  
“So, you just gonna adopt a dog?” White asked, petting the puppy.  
  
“Yeah, I think so. Maybe I’ll name him Mr. Black.” Freddy said.  
  
“Hey – why does he get to be Mr. Black?” White joked.  
  
Freddy looked over to him sternly and made a face. “Because he’s a fuckin’ cool dog alright?” he said, imitating Joe Cabot perfectly.  
  
White put his head back and laughed hysterically. Freddy laughed too. For a few seconds, the men cried with laughter.  
  
The dog looked around happily at his new owners.  
  
“Okay, the dog will need some supplies then, there’s a pet store on the way.” Said Freddy, hoping White would be cool with the extension of their ‘date’.  
  
“Sure I know it.” Said White. Freddy smiled to himself.  
  
They pulled in to the pet store parking lot, Freddy scooped Mr. Black up and they walked inside. ‘Well this is all very domestic’, he thought, before remembering Mr. White has most definitely probably killed people. He started to get cold feet.  
  
Freddy started feeling sweaty and anxious, like a wave of guilt and fear and sickness – and an overall feeling of crawling out of his own skin. What the fuck was he doing.  
  
White didn’t seem to notice Freddy’s change of demeanor, or if he did, didn’t say anything. They grabbed the necessities and went to the checkout line. Freddy forced a smile as they shared a conversation with the cashier about the dog. She pointed them to a little machine where they could make a tag for the collar.  
  
They walked over to the machine. White put his hand on Freddy’s shoulder as Freddy began to punch in what he wanted. With that gesture, his fears fell away. Because White’s hand on his shoulder didn’t feel wrong, it felt right. They got the tag made, ‘Mr. Black’. And Freddy held it up for White to see.  
  
“Now he’s a badass.” Said White.  
  
Freddy put the collar on Mr. Black and attached him to the leash. They walked outside and Freddy set the dog down to see if he would cooperate with walking. It took a little bit of coaching but they got the dog to start walking with them. The sun was starting to set.  
  
“Damn it’s already late.” Said Freddy.  
  
“Well let’s get Mr. Black in the car and I can take you home.” White said, closing the trunk after putting away the dog stuff.  
  
When they got to Freddy’s place, White turned off the car.  
  
“Let me help you with the bags.” He said.  
  
“That’s okay I got it.” Said Freddy, his feet were turning to ice again.  
  
“There’s a 30 pound bag of dog chow in the trunk, along with everything else.” White let out a laugh. “Let’s be real, you’re not the heavy lifter of the group.”  
  
“I don’t think you are either.” Said Freddy, a little forcibly.  
  
White got out of the car and opened the trunk. Freddy opened the car door and let Mr. Black on the sidewalk. He closed the door and waited for White to grab the bags. This would be a great time for Holdaway to see him. Yeah, all he needs is Holdaway to see this scene. That’s professional. Getting a dog and letting the criminal up into your place of residence.  
  
Freddy led White up to his apartment. He opened the door and unclipped Mr. Black from his leash. The dog started sniffing everything. White walked in and set the bags down, he started unbagging.  
  
“Hey, that’s okay.” Said Freddy, really trying to get White to take the hint.  
  
“Well, I’ll see you later then.” Said White.  
  
“Yeah, I’ll call you if I have any, yknow, questions or whatever.”  
  
“Yeah.” Said White turning to leave. He half turned back to Freddy. “Or whatever.”  
  
White closed the door behind him and Freddy locked it, maybe too soon. Maybe way too soon. Maybe White heard him lock the door. Freddy kept a hand on the lock, now panicking that White had heard him lock the door so fast. Freddy didn’t know what he was feeling. He liked White, but he was afraid of him. Well, maybe not him. Maybe he was just afraid of what he meant. What he symbolized. But he was worthy of fear in the usual sense too, right? He was a criminal, a murderer, he wasn’t a good guy…

  
But he was funny. And cute. And he laughed at Freddy’s words and he liked the dog and he won Freddy a-  
  
The bear. Freddy forgot to grab the bear. He unlocked the door and ran out, running down the stairs. He nearly collided with White when he got outside.  
  
“Whoa – kid!”  
  
“I…uh…forgot…” Freddy breathed hard. “The bear. For Mr. Black…I…”  
  
“Oh, yeah, okay.” White unlocked his car and opened the door, grabbing the bear. “Here you go.”  
  
“Thanks…thanks.” Said Freddy. “Uh, I’ll see you later.”  
  
“Yeah.” Said White, smiling, laughing a little. “I’ll see you later.”  
  
Freddy smiled and nodded, he turned around and walked away, knowing White was watching him go back inside. He walked up to his apartment and saw Mr. Black had started to walk out of the door.  
  
“Whoa whoa. No. No. You don’t leave the apartment.” He said, scooting the dog back inside. He closed the door and locked it. Freddy started to set things out for the dog, and cleaned up some of the toxic action figure paint and materials he had carelessly left out before getting an animal.  
  
Freddy looked out his window and saw White was still down there in his car. The lights finally turned on and he pulled away. Freddy didn’t know how to feel, it was all complex. Well, to him anyway. That was his problem.  
  
“You’ve Long Beach Mike’d yourself.” Said Freddy. “Well, no, you’ve almost.”  
  
So long as nothing happened between him and Mr. White, it wasn’t anything like Long Beach Mike. All he and White did was get lunch and rescue a dog, that’s normal people stuff. That’s just being undercover, and being friendly with his partner. It was all good. Nothing was going on.  
  
But that was all surface. Freddy could say that, and it’d be true too. But inside, Freddy could feel the tug on his heart strings, and pretend all he wanted; he was starting to develop a serious crush on his heist partner.


	4. Everybody Else

Freddy stayed up considerably late painting one of his action figures, only this time there was a dog biting at his ankles. Dogs never want to play with their own toys. Freddy enjoyed staying up late, but that wasn’t the reason he had sleepless nights at his new residence. He wasn’t used to the area, and his side of the neighborhood was incredibly dark at night. Freddy didn’t have air conditioning, and hot wind blew in through the window he always kept open. Sweat trickled down his forehead, it was extra hot tonight. The puppy laid on the tile and Freddy almost considered joining him. He laid his feet flat on the floor, trying to soak up the coolness in between his toes.

Finally at 3 am Freddy called it quits and headed to bed. Mr. Black was already asleep in his dog bed. Freddy took off his clothes and went to the bathroom. There was nothing planned for the next day so he was sure he was going to sleep in very late. He already hated himself for it. He left the bathroom and laid down on the bed, he was already uncomfortable being naked for so long but it was too damn hot not to be. He watched the ceiling fan starting up and he traced his stomach with his fingers. He thought about Mr. White, he realized he had spent the past hours in zen mode, and hadn’t thought about him since he had left. His stomach got nervous a little bit, he already felt himself cracking and he had only been on the job less than a week.

Freddy closed his eyes when he felt his hair being moved by the fan. The new breeze felt good, and as he was starting to grow tired, he suddenly remembered the feel of White’s hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes; lights would move and fade away through the blinds as cars passed on the street below. He started thinking about White again, about his crooked smile and his laugh and his arms and his hand –

When Freddy woke up the next day he was on his stomach, face buried under several pillows. Mr. Black was barking and scratching at his door, and Freddy rubbed his eyes and remembered he had a dog now. It was noon, not as horribly late as Freddy thought it was, but he panicked when he realized there was a hungry dog on the other side of the door. He was a bad parent already.

He put on his underwear and opened the door, immediately Freddy noticed the accidents Mr. Black had during the night. He fed the dog and cleaned up the mess. This was starting to feel like too much. But Freddy liked the dog, and it was good to have a friend at home. He put on some basketball shorts and a hoodie and attached the leash to Mr. Black’s collar when he was done eating. Just a quick ‘morning’ walk.

Freddy locked the apartment door and turned around and nearly screamed. It was his creepy ass neighbor who he only knew as ‘T’. T was probably in his late 30s, and Freddy was pretty sure the dude was a serial killer. When Freddy moved in he had gotten weird vibes from the looks T had given him.  Like he wanted to shave his head and wear his hair like a wig.

“Hey T.” Freddy said, shaking but smiling.

“Hi Timmy.” Said T, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Mr. Black.

Freddy cringed; he hated that name so much.

“You can just call me Tim.” Freddy said, not appreciating Holdaway’s attempt at making his new name easier to transition into. “Oh, this is my new dog.”

“Does the landlord know?” said T, still looking at the dog.

“I’m going to tell her today. It’s no problem.” Said Freddy, clutching the leash at this point.

T’s eyes moved slowly to meet Freddy’s.

“Hm.” He said. “Well, see you around.”

“Yeah, see you.” Freddy tugged on the leash and turned down the hall towards the stairs, he could feel T’s eyes piercing into his back like daggers.

On the walk Freddy tried to show the dog how to go to the bathroom outside, but he couldn’t shake the uneasiness he had felt from T. It wasn’t the kind of sleaze and danger that exuded from Long Beach Mike, it was a different kind. The real kind.

Freddy walked all the way to a fast food place, trying to put as much time between him and T as possible. He ate outside with Mr. Black at his feet and thought about work. More panic rushed through him. He had been doing this job for years, but suddenly he wanted to be a hermit, where he didn’t have to make money but could still live exactly as he always had. He thought about the diamonds. What if they succeeded instead and Freddy took his cut and went to Bermuda and chilled with the dog, painted action figures by day, and laid in bed at night with the ceiling fan on high. That would be living. Just like now except the weekend never ended.

He headed home, it was probably a little past 1 o clock now, and when he went upstairs to his apartment there was no sign of T. He let the dog in and got him some water. He cleaned up a little and breathed deeply, trying to center himself. He could do this.

Freddy picked up the phone and called Holdaway.

“Hey Freddo what’s up?”

“Yo – what’s with the creep living across from me?” Freddy asked.

Holdaway laughed. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s this guy and he’s weird as fuck and I’m pretty sure he’s measuring me with his eyes to see if my skin would fit over his body. And while he’s taller than me I’m pretty sure it would fit just fine.”

“Jesus Freddy, calm down. You stay in a low income neighborhood for less than a week and everyone’s a criminal?”

“That is not what I meant.”

Holdaway laughed again. “Look, we scouted the building out before placing you there; no one has a record that’s outstandingly bad. If he’s a creepy guy he’s a creepy guy, a lot of people are.”

“I just get bad vibes from him.”

“Well there’s nothing we can do about it. Just chill out. How’s the case?”

“It’s fine. Nothing really new to report right now.” Said Freddy.  He looked down at the dog. Fuck, he had to call the landlord.

“Are you saying you only called me about this neighbor?”

“I just got weirded out, I’m fine now.” Freddy lied.

“Ok, well call me if anything new happens. And Freddy – you have a gun. So be cool.”

Holdaway hung up before he could say goodbye. He put the phone down. He went to take a shower and brush his teeth and put on real clothes, and when he got out the phone was ringing. He picked it up.

“Mr. Orange.” It wasn’t White.

“Yeah?”

“This is Blonde. A couple of us wanted to see what you were doing today. Thought we’d go to the pier and discuss some things.”

A chill ran up Freddy’s spine.

“Sure, that sounds good.” He said.

“Great, be there at 3.”

Vic Vega hung up the phone. Unlike White, he wasn’t a talker.

Freddy arrived at the pier at around 2:55. He could see Vic at the end, he could stand out anywhere. It looked like Brown and Pink were with him. His stomach sank, he thought White was gonna be there.

“Hey Orange.” Said Brown. The others turned to look at him.

“Hey guys.” Said Freddy, still totally unsure what they were doing together.

“Hey Blonde, Eddie tell you anything new?” Pink said.

“No.” said Vic, putting his cigarette to his mouth.

“I thought you saw him last night?”

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up?” said Vic. “If I have anything to tell ya, I’d tell ya.”

“Geez-us, ok.” Said Pink, putting up his hands.

Freddy didn’t know how to respond, he wanted to say ‘then what are we doing here’, but he didn’t.

“Is White coming?” he asked instead.

“No. I figured us young guys could hang yknow.” Vic laughed through his smoke.

Freddy felt offended, he wasn’t really that old. Very early 50s, it’s not like he was as old as Joe.

 “Then what’s on the agenda?” asked Pink. Freddy could count on Pink to be the guinea pig that asked all the questions.

“Eat and flirt with some women.” Said Vic.

Freddy looked away, he was pretty sure Vic and Eddie were together, but Vic was such a macho guy he’d probably never admit it. He doubted Vic was even interested in women except to exert his masculinity. Freddy really hated this guy.

After the guys got food, Freddy and Pink watched Brown and Vic try to pick up some women on the boardwalk. The woman Vic was talking to barely responded and walked away.

“Fuck her.” Vic said.

“Maybe White would have had some words of wisdom.” Said Freddy, still bitter that he was here without his ‘bridge’ to the other guys.

“Yeah Blonde, you’re really shit at this.” Said Pink, who took a step back immediately in case Vic got violent.

“Eh – whatever.” Said Vic, taking out a cigarette.

Brown returned from the other side of the boardwalk.

“This is a shit place to pick up chicks.” He said.

Freddy and Pink laughed and gave each other a knowing look. ‘Ok’, thought Freddy, ‘bonding moment with Pink. I need something.’

“Hey man don’t worry about it.” Said Freddy, Brown seemed responsive. If Freddy could make friends with Pink and Brown, it didn’t matter what his relationship with Vic was like.

The guys walked down the boardwalk towards the street. Vic was fiddling with something.

“What’s going on?” asked Pink.

Vic handed everyone 20 bucks.

“What’s this?” asked Freddy.

“Just lifted this wallet from a guy back there.” Said Vic, tossing the wallet in the trash. “Sorry boys, I’m keeping most of the money for myself, since I did it and all.”

Freddy put the money in his pocket. ‘Great’, he thought.

Vic unlocked his car. “I’m sure we’ll be in touch.” he said to Freddy, giving him a wink that felt vaguely threatening.

“See ya around.” Said Brown, hitting his hand on Freddy’s shoulder. He got into the passenger side of Vic’s car.

“Hey see you later.” Said Pink, who turned around to go find his car.

Freddy was left alone. The last few hours were nerve wracking but also felt like he was just chilling with his friends. He imagined this would be happening a lot in the next few weeks. Maybe his relationship with Vic will be better too.

Freddy headed home. He saw he had a message on his answering machine. He hit play.

“Hey, I was just wondering how you were doing, or, how Mr. Black was doing. Is he being good? I hope he’s not giving you too much trouble. Dogs can be difficult to handle. I can always watch him if you need me to or, anything. So, I’ll talk to you later then. Bye.”

Freddy smiled, he was glad to hear White’s voice. That’s who he wanted to talk to. Not the other guys. He picked up the phone.


	5. Intermission. And Update !

Hey guys! As you can see this fic hasn't updated since April...that's because I began work on a Reservoir Dogs AU comic, it takes place in an au where they all got away and escaped to an island, Joe Cabot is the dogs landlord and fluffy and angsty things ensue. It explores the ideas of Freddy's secrets (they escaped before Freddy's confession in canon) and his budding romance with Larry. 

I was originally going to keep this fic going as they are different, but ideas began to merge. If you'd like to check it out I'd appreciate it! The url is reservoirdogscomic.tumblr.com I update every mon and friday!

This isn't an end to this fic, but I'm focusing more on the comic as I plan it to be ongoing for a long time. If I'm able to just sit down and write maybe I can keep this going as I do miss this platform! But we'll see!


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